Mayor Signs into Law new Bills Expanding the Boundaries, Spend of Fulton St. BID

On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law two bills, Intro 1029 and Intro 1047, put forth by the New York City Council expanding the Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance.

Sponsored by City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras-Copeland of Brooklyn's 21st District, the bills authorize an increase in the amount to "fill in the gaps between existing business improvement districts (BIDs)," expanding FAB's boundaries to include a few extra blocks of businesses:

Intro. 1029 extends the boundaries and increase the amount that can be expended by the Fulton Street BID, better known as the Fulton Area Business Alliance BID. The expansion of the FAB Alliance BID is part of a two-year effort to introduce comprehensive BID support to the newly created Brooklyn Cultural District. The first component — the expansion of the MetroTech BID — was signed into law by the Mayor on February 8, 2016.

The expansion of the FAB Alliance BID will help to advocate on behalf of both merchants and property owners in the district; manage public spaces and maintain streetscapes within district boundaries; provide marketing and promotion services for the BID, which will include the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as collaborate with neighboring BIDs to promote the broader Brooklyn Cultural District; and provide supplemental sanitation and public safety for the neighborhood. This expansion is part of a larger package of investments in downtown Brooklyn and the Cultural District. The BID expansion will help to knit together the Brooklyn Cultural District with Fort Greene and Clinton Hill's commercial strips and institutions — driving growth and making the neighborhood more vibrant.

Intro. 1047 increases the amount that the Fulton Mall Special Assessment District can expend annually from $1,537,500 to $2,100,000. This investment will result in cleaner, safer and more vibrant streets, strengthening the local economy. This increase will help the organization to better serve the neighborhood as part of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and provide an even higher level of service and advocacy for New Yorkers.

The expansion areas include:

• on the southern side of Lafayette Avenue between St. Felix Street and Fort Greene Place (Brooklyn Medical Plaza),
• the northern side of Lafayette Avenue between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place (opposite BAM),
• the southern side of Fulton Street between Rockwell and Ashland Places, and
• a bit more of Ashland Place between Fulton Street and DeKalb Avenue.

What this boundary expansion, respective BIDs can now leverage membership fees from businesses to maintain sanitation and other public safety and quality of life projects along those sidewalks while also advocate on behalf of those merchants.

"As Brooklyn's Cultural District continues to evolve, attracting millions of residents and tourists annually, it is critical that the infrastructure is in place to support the growth and development of the area's businesses, organizations and institutions," said Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, whose district covers a significant portion of the BID area.

"The expansion of the Fulton Business Improvement District will increase its capacity to provide additional resources and programming for small business owners, merchants, property owners, community stakeholders and residents."